A Seminar on 'Matters of National Security - Concerns and Accountability' was held at Constitution Club in New Delhi on 1 August 2023. This was presided over by Ex-Governor of Jammu & Kashmir, Meghalaya and Goa Satya Pal Malik and conducted by Dr. Sunilam and addressed by Congress leader Digvijay Singh, CPIML General Secretary Dipankar Bhattacharya, Kumar Ketkar, John Brittas, Prashant Bhushan and others. Here we produce summary of the statement made by Comrade Dipankar Bhattacharya regarding concerns and priorities on this question.
Democracy, social equity and development are the cornerstones of a strong national security. We believe that these are the three factors without which we cannot imagine a strong national security. But what we are witnessing today is that these three factors are under attack and thus our national security is also under danger.
Today, we are witnessing an increasing discontent among the people against the policies of the Modi regime, with eerie similarity to the situation before 2019 General Elections. Youths were on the road on the issue of employment, the working class and toiling masses were fighting for their rights and farmers were spearheading the movement for loan waiver and MSP. But then the Pulwama incident happened, and things changed and the government fanned jingoism for votes.
With the Agnipath scheme, we are seeing how the government has contractualised the military, threatening national security thousands of youth who were preparing for armed forces were made mere contract soldiers.
National security is not just at borders, it is also needed inside the country. The hatred and violence we are seeing in Manipur, Haryana and also in the killing incident in Jaipur-Mumbai train becomes a model for this country then our national security is under severe threat.
The incident of killing of four people by a Railway Protection Force (RPF) jawan, including a senior officer and three Muslims has been reported in the news. The RPF jawan, after killing his senior, probably over some political argument went on a killing spree in two different coaches specifically targeting Muslim men. He, as can be seen in the video, said that ‘if you have to stay in the country then vote for Modi-Yogi.’ The truth is being buried and the incident is being portrayed as a case of depression or mentally instability.
Also, we have to understand that our national security has an intrinsic relationship with our foreign policy. Today, we are unfriendly and have animosity with our own neighbours in the regions, but we are getting very close with America and Israel, who are not even our neighbours. In the name of threat from China and Pakistan, we have mortgaged our whole foreign policy in the hands of America and Israel.
If we fail to maintain friendly and peaceful relations with our neighbours in the region, then even after thousands of defence and strategic deals and Modi globetrotting the world, we can’t have a robust national security. It’s not just about Pakistan and China, today, we have a severely strained relationship even with Nepal, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. The Modi government is trying to alter history, so can they also change the geography?
The foreign policy, where our historic non-aligned movement and global south and solidarity identities have been abandoned for I2U2 and Quad alliances, need to be reoriented and then only we can have a strong national security.
Today, as we see there is a rule of destruction, hatred and terror orchestrated by the Modi regime, the people of the country want change and we must unite to ensure this change only then a stronger national security can be built.
India, that is Bharat will win against this rule of destruction, hatred and terror.
